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Mother is the woman who raises you, who is there for you to hold and comfort you when you are sick or hurt.The woman who laughs with you, who cries with you, who loves you, even when you aren’t exactly lovable, for whatever reason.That is what I call a real Mother and God bless them.

Being a mom can often be very challenging. This describes the many challenges of motherhood so well. A mother must be a multi-talented person, it is the hardest job in the world but also the most rewarding. In my opinion the most difficult part of motherhood is not the actual parenting part, but managing the household, making sure everyone’s schedules match, picking up the kids and dropping off kids, cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, shopping groceries and finding time to do something fun together as a family and once in a while trying to squeeze in a little mommy time-off. That is the challenge of motherhood.

Last days have been very challenging, so much to do and so little time. It’s seems as everyone’s schedules are overflowing with events and things needed to be done. Sometimes it feels like I’m juggling with so many things that it’s just a matter of time before somethings drops. It can be quite overwhelming as I race from one place to another, chasing the clock and strict time frame. It’s important to remember to pause occasionally and enjoy the moment. Chasing the clock can be very stressful and it can lead to one feeling exhausted and moody. Then it’s important to calm down quickly take a deep breath and try to relax for few minutes. It helps getting more oxygen into the body and releases physical tension. Take a short walk, exercise can be a great stress reliever in itself, as it helps to blow off steam and it releases endorphins. Take a break it can be very helpful to take a time-out. Sometimes we just can’t do everything by our self. Perhaps it’s possible to share the tasks with someone else, remember that the other parents are likely to be in the same situation and tasks like dropping of kids to practice can easily be shared. It is also important to prioritize those things you need to get done by taking five minutes to make a to-do list. Then you prioritize the things on your list.

It’s a fact that being busy can burn you out. Therefor you need to look after yourself specially when your schedule is full, so that you can stay relaxed and healthy. Here are some tips to help you to reduce the stress, that don’t take much time out of your busy day.

Take 5 minutes in the morning to relax, stretch and breathe. If you start your day in a stressful way, then you’ll probably feel stressed for the rest of the day as well. Therefore it is important to make sure your morning starts with 5 minutes of silence and ease.

Breathe in and breathe out. Remember deep breath, fill your lungs with air. While you’re sitting at the traffic lights or waiting for the bus, at work or in the store – just focus on breathing calmly and rhythmically. Studies have shown that deep-breathing is very effective in handling depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders.

5 minutes time out. Before you go home from work and start the engine of your car, just pause for few minutes. Clear out your mind, refresh your mind and then continue. If you travel on the train or bus then you can use the time for this.

Try towalk few minutes every day. Not only will the exercise be good for you, you also get some important fresh air and daylight. The lunch hour is ideal for this. Afterwards when you start working you will feel more focused and energetic. This is also an opportunity is to build exercise into your daily activities so you don’t have to stop for extra exercise at the gym later in the day, so it can save you some time.

Ask for help or employ help. Remember that those who share your household can also help with the cleaning and other tasks needed to be done. You don’t have to do everything yourself. You can even pay someone else to clean your home so you can have some extra time with your partner or family.

Keep a planner. It makes your life less chaotic if you keep a planner. Make sure to write down every appointment you have and make sure to schedule time for yourself.

Laughter and fun is important. It is important in busy life not to forget to have some fun. Laughter is also very important and can dissolve stress. Go out of your way to have laughter in your life. You can watch DVD’s of comedy or read some jokes. Play silly games with your children or share funny stories with friends or family.

I was reading an article stating that kids today are more narrow-minded and not as creative as their grandparents were. Young children can be very creative and love to use their imagination – there is no limit to their creation. Child can easily turn piece of paper into an airplane or a rocket just by using the imagination. As the kids grow older they tend to lose this talent, little by little, if it isn’t allowed to develop.

What is creativity? Creativity has been defined as the ability to use the imagination to see things differently, or to view the world in a distinct and personal way. Creativity is a skill that can be taught. Parents can help their kids to develop their skill by providing them with the resources they need for creative expression.

Why is creativity so important? Creativity is the talent to write stories and play music, or to make arts and crafts. But this talent is also used to solve everyday problems and even perform complex math operations. Creativity is not limited to artistic and musical expression—it is also essential for science, math, and even social andemotional intelligence. Creative people are more flexible and better problem solvers, which makes them more able to adapt to technological advances and deal with change—as well as take advantage of new opportunities.

What can parents do to encourage creativity?

Prepare kids bedroom or play area in a way that encourages creativity, keep coloring devices and paper handy and easily accessible, according to their age. Keep a variety of artistic materials such as clay, play dough, music, books, blocks, legos, and other creative toys within the reach of the child, appropriate for their age.

Encourage coloring and drawing, to read for pleasure and participate in the arts. Allow your kid to think for himself, do not interrupt or try to guide the child in “right direction”. Kids needs an opportunities for free self-expression, without negative judgment. The child might take that as critique and be discouraged to continue. Children can be very critical. If your child becomes frustrated because he can’t do something perfectly, be sympathetic and explain to him that everyone needs practice to master new things.

If you wake up with puffy eyes or bags under your eyes – then you might have excess water in your body also known as Edema. It occurs from excess fluid buildup under the eyes, commonly referred to as eye bag. The skin around the eyes is very thin and is full of blood vessels which make it very sensitive. The cause is usually linked to modern lifestyles and hormonal fluctuations. Things that can cause puffy eyes are Lack of sleep, Stress,Diet that is high in salt andHormonal issues (f. ex. during pregnancy or menstruation). Other causes that can lead to puffiness are Crying, Changes in the weather can cause puffy eyes or too much Alcohol consumption. Usually puffy eyes will go away after a little bit of time.

Sometimes puffy eyes might be symptoms of other conditions that may require examination by an eye care professional such as allergies, diabetes or side effect of several types of medication

Excess fluid can also build up in other body tissues. The condition occurs mostly in the feet, ankles and legs, but can develop anywhere in the body.

How to prevent the bags from developing:

Sleep with the head elevated, it prevents fluids from accumulating around your eyes. Make sure you get enough sleep.

Cut back on salt intake.

Drink water to clean out your system, but don’t drink to many fluids right before going to sleep.

Cranberry juice is a natural diuretic to help reduce fluid retention and aid in weight loss.

Use a cold compress on puffy eyes. You can use cooling gel mask for eyes, or moisten two tea bags in cold water, chill them in the refrigerator and place them over closed eyelids for several minutes. Wash your face with ice-cold water. This should reduce the puffiness.

Take good care of your skin. Don’t use oil-based makeup. The oil can cause the skin under the eyes to swell and become inflamed. Water-based and/or gel-based makeup is less harsh for sensitive skins. Avoid placing wrinkle remover cream near the eyes. It can cause too much hydration and puffiness is the result. Always wash your makeup off each night, as the residue can fill the pores causing swelling.

My kids are adorable, really they are the most wonderful persons I know. But as lovely as they are, sometimes they can totally make me speechless because of something they say or do. Having kids seems to multiple the opportunities for embarrassing moments for parents. Kids are completely unpredictable and when you’re least expecting they say something that can really make your cheeks turn red and just want to disappear. My most embarrassing moments are related to something they said, something totally inappropriate.

My most embarrassing moment was caused by my oldest daughter. It was in her birthday party, she just turned four. We had invited the whole family, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles and other relatives and friends. Everybody stood around the table, getting ready to sing the birthday song. As I was lighting the candles on the birthday cake I heard her whisper something to me. I didn’t hear what she said so foolishly told her to speak louder for me to hear her. Then she said loudly “Mommy why didn’t you wear any panties last night?” Everybody became totally silent and I was speechless, just felt how my cheeks were started to warm up, turning bright red. Then my sister, thank god for her, stepped in and said “Well, let’s light the candles for you, birthday girl.” Then everybody just started talking again and we sang the birthday song for her. No one ever mentioned this incident to me, well except my sister and husband. They thought it was hilarious afterwards and today I can laugh about it, but for years I couldn’t.

When both parents are working there is often a lack of time for the entire family to spend time together. Everyone’s scheduled is full. It is important for the family to be able to find some quality time.

Quality time does not make up for the lack of quantity time between parents and kids but it makes good memories and strengthens the ties. Quality time is concentrated, uninterrupted time. The entire family makes an effort to make it special by spending pleasurable time together, enjoying each other’s company through an activity or outing.

Planning a family night takes effort, but the payoff is well worth the time. Sometimes it can be difficult to find the “right” time to actually schedule quality time. A lot of parents have the mistaken perception that quality time means spending more money on their kids. Of course it is fun to go to the Zoo or nice restaurant but it is not necessary. The truth is that you don’t have to spend money just to have some quality time with your kids.

Being a parent is the most demanding job in the world – in my opinion. We have to be on call twenty-four seven, always ready to jump out of bed if the child needs us. No matter what. It is the parents duty towards their children to love and protect them, to nurture and care for them.

We are always on call. Sometimes it can get quite frustrating like last night when I woke up with one of the kids calling for me. Of course I hurried to the room, tripping over some toy on the floor. Then as I leaned down to see what’s wrong, I realized that the child was sleep talking – how frustrating.

No sick days allowed for parents. Parenthood is very challenging and can make you do things that you don´t like. Like few days ago when I had a stomach flu. I was home alone with two of my children, age one and three. Even though I was “stuck” on the toilet I still had to entertain them and keep them out of trouble. So I was sitting there with stomach cramps, singing and playing with dolls – everything to keep them happy. They are too young to be by them self in the apartment so I had no choice. When parents become ill they can’t call in sick because they still need to look after the children.

There are great rewards. Although being a parent can have it’s bad days then most days are quite rewarding. The joyfulness of watching those little babies as they develop. Seeing their pride as the can finally achieve something new. Being part of their joys and sorrows. Supporting them to achieve their goals. To guide each child to become an independent, mature and a loving adult.

Being a parent is surely one of the most challenging jobs in the world – but it is also has the best rewards.